Israel Update-Revive Israel

Ministry for revival in Israel and the nations
1/16/2011

subscribe address change article archive print version online giving



Ministry in India


©1/16/2011 Asher Intrater


A Report by Eddie Santoro
In the natural, India is a country in transition. It is developing fast and there is an almost shocking mix of beautiful new apartments and stores alongside large areas of poverty and filth. The amount of people, cars, trucks, rickshaws, cows, and just about anything else you can imagine on the roads makes for a truly chaotic scene. But in the spirit, there is a light shining that is radiating the life of God and it is growing brighter with each day. Our team felt that believing India has a special calling in these last days and there is a special Kingdom relationship being established in the spirit between India and Israel.

We ministered in 22 meetings during our 12 days in those two cities, in addition to countless informal ministry times. We often started in the early hours of the morning and finished late at night. All of the churches we attended are experiencing rapid growth, and have at least three meetings on Sundays. We also ministered multiple times at several special holiday meetings. On Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve and on each Sunday, our first meeting was at 6 am and to our amazement, those meetings were packed to overflowing with hungry believers!



Although these precious people generally sit on the floor for hours, they listen intently and worship fervently. They carry within themselves a level of humility and service that we don't often see in the West. The darkness of overwhelming poverty and massive amounts of Hindu demonic worship that surrounds them truly makes the presence of God a refuge of life for them. New Year's Eve is a big celebration in India and most churches have all night meetings. We flew in from Bangalore to Chennai on Friday afternoon and Pastor TD met us at the airport. On the way to his church we stopped at three places to pray for several families and a business. They consider it a great blessing to receive prayer from Israel.



We later arrived at the church to find over 3000 people packed into the basement, main meeting hall, and on the roof. Franklin, TD's son, was leading the huge crowd in powerful worship that was spilling onto the streets of this predominantly Hindu city. I didn’t begin preaching the main message until around 1:30 am. Regardless of the late hour, everyone there listened intently to my message; no one was even talking at the back of the room! The incredible night ended with serving the Lord's Table.



We were also very blessed to be able to attend the wedding of a young woman whose family I have visited many times over my past five trips to India. We joined the over two thousand guests and at the end of the ceremony, I sang the Aaronic blessing over the new couple and Jackie had the great honor of participating in the very significant Indian cake cutting ceremony.



Many times, we spoke about Israel and its relationship to the church and each time, the message was received with a commitment to pray for Israel and the Body here. The Indian people believe that they received the Gospel from the apostle Thomas who came to India and was martyred in the city of Chennai. They recognize that he was Jewish and are thrilled in these last days to again receive Jews from Israel. This was my sixth trip to India but it was the first time that I traveled as a part of a team. I can really understand why Yeshua sent out the disciples in teams and not alone. Mati and Alex, and my wife Jackie, were an incredible blessing. Together the effectiveness of our ministry times was increased as we joined together in prayer for the meetings, the people and ourselves.



Mati preached several full messages and shared at numerous meetings. In addition, we stood as spiritual guards one for the other as we interceded and prayed for each other.


One of the greatest blessings we experienced was to be in the homes and to share in the family life of these three apostolic couples with whom I have established deep and personal connection with over all these years. TD, Kumar and Martin, and their families have given their entire lives to see the Gospel take root in India. Together, they have planted over 100 churches and every one of them has been established in an area where formerly there were no believers. They have brought the light to tens of thousands of people, raised up a mighty generation of leaders and the fruit of their efforts is multiplying quickly. In closing, we want to thank all of you who prayed for us during this time. What an encouragement it was to know that we went with your prayers continually surrounding us. In spite of the intensity of all that we did, we always felt this covering of prayer. His grace flowed upon us and through us and our hearts were continually filled with so much love for these people. We are so grateful to have been able to make this trip. We believe that God's purposes were accomplished and that we will see a mighty harvest of fruit for his kingdom.



Prayer Requests
Please be in prayer for Asher, Betty, and A, who are ministering in Denmark.
Also, a dear friend of ours will be in Alexandria, Egypt this week ministering to the Coptic Church there that fell victim to a terrorist bomb during their New Years Eve prayer service a few weeks ago. He was sent with a love offering and a letter of encouragement from the Messianic Community here in Jerusalem.

Shortened Days?

I read the report below with astonishment. Immediately I thought of what Christ said in Matthew 24:21 - 22 ~

" For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elects sake those days shall be shortened..."


Christ here is speaking of the days of judgment and tribulation upon the earth. He speaks this again in Mark 13:19-20 ~ " For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved; but for the elects sake, whom He hath chosen, He hath shortened the days..."


The Report ~


The amount of catastrophic earthquakes that have begun to occur would give good reason for one to think that Mother Earth is undergoing changes consistent with those in the past. A prime example was the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile on February 27, 2010, a few days after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti, killing thousands. Luckily for Chile, their building infrastructure was intact, unlike Haiti's. So, only a few people lost their lives.

The Chilean earthquake was no normal earthquake, Earthly speaking! It not only caused local damage in cities and towns, but it also caused damage to the Earth's axis, according to a NASA scientist. This means that the normal rotation of the Earth has been changed. An immediate consequence of such change is the advent of shorter days.

As an inhabitant of Mother Earth, this is a very scary thing! If these massive earthquakes continue to occur, we may no longer have days. If each time a massive earthquake struck, time is deducted from a day then we will soon run out of days! According to the scientist, the Chile earthquake shortened an Earthly day by 1.26 microseconds. This is not good news at all!

During winter time, we are already robbed of a full day. So now, we will be robbed even more! All days, especially winter days will now be shorter. The sad thing is that such a change in the Earth's rotation is permanent, the scientist said.


I have read these scripture in the past and could never understand how God can make days shorter without anyone taking notice? The 30 day change that just occurred were 30 days advancement on the universal time clock. I strongly believe that God has a preset time when Christ will come again. He has a preset time for Satan to be bound and cast into the lake of fire along with Antichrist and the false prophet.


What is also interesting in Christ's wording is He said that God has shortened those days; not that He would shorten; but that He has already! He has a timetable that was established from eternity past. Everything that happens is on His Time, not ours and not the Devil's time piece!


We must never forget this. If it happens, He has already been there and is well more than able and willing to help us through each and every circumstance. It all happens for His glory and our education of His ways!

Update Israel-Asher Intrater

Ministry for revival in Israel and the nations
1/9/2011

subscribe address change article archive print version online giving



Israeli News Update


©1/9/2011 Asher Intrater


Mossad Chief Retires
After an outstanding term of 8 years as chief of the Mossad (Israeli international espionage agency), Meir Dagan was honored at a farewell ceremony at the Israeli cabinet. Dagan, who is rather short, balding, bespectacled, chubby and shy, probably did more than any other human being this decade to stop terrorism.
Prime Minister Netanyahu recalled this story:



"Last year, I sat in your office and I saw on the wall the picture of a religious Jewish man, on his knees before Nazi thugs. This picture caught my eye and I asked you about it. You said that that was your grandfather. I asked you what happened to him. You told me: 'They murdered him.' "Then I said, 'Meir, now I understand you. I understand your deep commitment to ensure that nobody could ever again be able to implement the threat of annihilating the Jewish people'."



Looking to retirement, Dagan said that this would be his first "day off" in 8 years. He also mentioned that contrary to other forecasts, he did not see Iran coming to nuclear capacity until the year 2015, thus hinting that the Mossad had played a certain role in delaying their progress.



[Note: Israeli military correspondent Alex Fishman reported this week that in spite of Dagan's statement about the nuclear capacity, Iran's (and Syria-Hizballah's) arsenal of conventional missiles is growing rapidly. At a briefing in November 2009, Israeli Army Chief Commander Gabi Ashkenazi reported that Iran had 300 missiles with a 2,000 kilometer range (enough to reach Israel). The U.S. and European intelligence community had mistakenly estimated the number at 1/3 of the reality. That capacity has grown to the point where Iranian produced missiles can reach all areas of Israel today.]



Anti-Semitism and Anti-Christ
All evil in the world is focused in hatred on one target: Messiah Yeshua. However, Yeshua also said to His disciples that if the world hated Him, it would also hate them. John 15:18, 19 – "If the world hates you, know that it hated Me first. You are not of the world; rather I have chosen you from the world. Therefore the world hates you."
A similar principle is found in Revelation 12:17 – "The dragon was angry with the woman and went to make war with the rest of her offspring, those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Yeshua." The anger of the devil is transferred over to the "rest of the offspring." Who are those offspring?



The disciples were believers in Yeshua and were Jewish. Half of the anger of the devil is transferred to Spirit-filled, evangelizing believers around the world. The second half is transferred to the Jewish people. The first is an anti-Christ spirit; the second is an anti-Semitic spirit. Ultimately they are of the same origin.



Another example is found in the book of Esther. Mordecai is a type of Yeshua; Haman is a type of Satan (or anti-Christ). Haman's hatred of Mordecai is transferred to the entire Jewish race. Haman's "final" solution was genocide. Esther 3:6 – "It was despised in his eyes to destroy Mordecai alone, for it was told to him of the people of Mordecai; so Haman sought to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom."



Around the world today, there is a rise of both anti-Christ and anti-Semitic spirits. Large numbers of Christians are persecuted or murdered every day. Western liberal society rejects Christians for being too religious; and then justifies radical Islam out of "political correctness." Radical Islam is the greatest perpetrator of crimes against both Jews and Christians.



As we draw closer to the Second Coming, these two evil spirits will work in tandem. In the tribulation, both Jews and Christians will be attacked by the anti-Christ. At the Second Coming, there will be a worldwide attack upon Jerusalem, which is also an attack on Yeshua Himself (Zechariah 14:1-9).



This week 21 Coptic Christians were killed in a Muslim terror attack in Alexandria, Egypt. Our Messianic Jewish community in Jerusalem is reaching out with humanitarian aid to help the families of the victims. Please stand with us as we stand with them.



Dozens of evangelical Christians were arrested in Iran last week during the Christmas vacation. They are asking for prayer. For more details, see: http://www.elam.com/articles/70-Christians-Arrested/



A new video from Middle East Media Research Institute, describes the rise of anti-Semitism in Arab nations. It shows Muslim clerics calling Jews "monkeys and pigs" (in agreement with the Koran), blaming Jews for killing Christian children to use their blood to make Matsoh for Passover (from the "blood libels" of the Dark ages), and praising Hitler for his attempts to murder the Jews. The Muslim clerics also make it clear that even if the Jews gave all of the Land to the Palestinians, they would still hate the Jews, for that is part of their religion. See: http://vimeo.com/16779150



Haiti Reminder
This Tuesday, January 11 marks one year from the Haitian earthquake disaster. Mobile Medical Disaster Relief ministry, led by David Vanderpool, is calling for a day of prayer for Haiti on this date. MMDR continues to serve the destitute there, who have been hit by a continuing series of natural disasters and epidemics this year. For more info, see www.mmdr.org
World Mission
We believe in the fulfillment of Acts 1:8 and endeavor to be witnesses of Yeshua, everywhere in the world. Eddie and Jackie and Mati and Alex returned from their ministry in India this week. Jonathan and Simcha are traveling on tour in the US. Asher and Betty will be sharing in Denmark this week.
Our friends, Victor and Harun, of Al Hayat Television, broadcast an evangelistic "Christmas" program in Arabic from Nazareth this week. By the end of the message, they had already received over 1,000 written email responses by interested viewers. We thank you for partnering with us in prayer for much fruit to be borne.




Online Giving





Please PRAY for our ongoing ministry in Israel of indigenous evangelism, planting Messianic congregations, the discipleship training center, prophetic praise and prayer watches in Hebrew, and financial aid for the needy.Please PASS these updates on to others you believe would benefit from them.Please PARTNER with us financially to strengthen the body of Messiah in Israel, to foster revival here, and to spread the message of Israel, the Church, and the End Times to the nations.

subscribe address change article archive print version unsubscribe

Visit us at. . . www.reviveisrael.org


NOTE: These articles and updates may be printed for personal use and forwarded to friends, but may not be published on a Web site or in printed publications except by express written permission from Revive Israel Ministries.

HIS Hand - Not Ours

I am 56 years old; I love to write, and fight with words for what I think is right and proper. Christ speaks of "righteousness" repeatedly in the words He spoke while here on earth. I have seen success in many battles fought over the years while coming to the defense of what I deemed a worthy cause.


Before I sit down to write anything I remind myself that the worlds were created with a WORD from God. Things that did not exist from eternities past were created by Him with one breath! What an awesome thought.


Our words have great effect in both the physical and spiritual realm. We will not realize until we stand in His Presence what we have said during our life, and what we should have said and the results of our speech. I desire that God set a guard over the roof of my mouth not once in a while, but daily!


I am not of the "name it and claim it" crew. If we desire anything in His Name, if it is to our benefit, Christ said we can move mountains if we believe. The underlying condition of this concept, this truth, is that it will not happen if it does not bring glory and praise to His Name. It is all about HIM, not us.


I love Psalm 109:26 - 27 ~

" Help me, O LORD my God:
Save me according to Thy mercy:

(why?)

" that they may know that this is Thy hand:
That Thou LORD hath done it..."


I deeply believe that when we struggle in ourselves to make things happen that God in His ultimate wisdom allows us to exhaust every avenue to show us that it will not happen, the answers will not come unless He molds the events and intervenes on our behalf. There are lessons to be learned in unanswered prayers. Events such as this truly reveal what is in the depths of our souls.


When the answer does come, whether yea or nay, we will know that it is really from God; He is the only One who opens a door and no one can shut it; or He closes a door and no one opens it. May God give us the spiritual insight to perceive His answers!


When the answer to our prayers does come what should our response be? As King David again in Psalm 109 says,
" Let them (the enemy) curse, but bless Thou;
when they arise, let them be ashamed: but let Thy servant rejoice.
I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth;
yea, I will praise Him among the multitude..."



It is all of His hand; not ours. Everything centers around Him. He is a jealous God; jealous of His love for us and our love for Him. When Israel greatly sinned and grieved His heart in the Wilderness and on other occasions God spoke of His sorrow in terms of a marriage going sour or a child in total rebellion. He guards us continually from pride, which was Satan's downfall, and will play out events and our prayers to the point that we will know without a doubt that the answer came from Him, not our own efforts.


Job 37:7 says, " He sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know HIS work..."


Our duty is to shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause; let them say continually, LET THE LORD BE MAGNIFIED, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. My tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness and of Thy praise all the day long...." (Psalm 35:27,28)


The LORD loves judgment ( righteousness ) and He does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. This is our duty; to trust, obey, believe and worship the Creator of all things; both seen and unseen. From the very ends of the universe, if there is even an end, to the very hairs on our head, as this troubled planet spins out of control, He is in total control and everything serves His purposes.


We are in good hands! He is our Father and He loves us more than we will ever know. Thank Him today for that fact.

ISRAEL UPDATE=ASHER INSTRATER

Israeli News Update


©1/2/2011 Asher Intrater

Katsav Convicted
Former Israeli President, Moshe Katsav, was convicted on Thursday, December 30, of two counts of rape. Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that this was a sad day, yet also an indication of the honesty and equality of the Israeli court system. Both Justice Minister Yakov Neeman and Supreme Court Chief Justice Doris Beinish quoted the Torah about maintaining justice and impartiality in judgment.

Israeli cases are determined by a head judge and two associate judges. In this case the head judge was George Kara, an Israeli Arab of Christian background from Jaffa; the associates were Judith Shevah and Miriam Sokolov. In light of international propaganda of human rights abuse in Israel, here is an example in which an Arab Christian and two Jewish women sat in judgment over the Israeli President.
In general, cases of sexual abuse without direct witnesses are difficult to judge. There are three factors by which to judge: 1. evidence, 2. testimonies of witnesses, 3. intuitive sense of the judges as to which of the plaintiff or defendant are telling the truth. In this case the judges unanimously felt (#3) that the women were more believable than Katsav. (Those close to Katsav felt just the opposite, and were enraged that such bias was demonstrated against him.) Israeli public opinion seems to agree that Katsav did commit the sexual abuse, even though some of the testimonies against him contained certain contradictions.

What is positive is that sexual abuse in public office in Israel is being brought to justice severely. Male leaders in business and politics are feeling a certain fear of sensual interaction with women in their offices; perhaps this is a type of fear of God.
What is sad is the high level of sexual immorality and Jezebel spirits within Israeli society. The case of Katsav reminds us somewhat of King David's affair with Bat Sheva (in that case however, David was a godly man who truly repented with all his heart). Why did God force David's sin to be so publicly revealed and punished? One reason was that David was not alone in his sin. There was sexual immorality throughout the nation. God wanted to use David as an example to increase the fear of God in the rest of the nation.

Ironically, feminists in the country, who rightly fight sexual abuse, also favor the homosexual agenda and sexual immorality, even in the schools. One of our team member's 11th grade daughter was taught "sex education" in her class that included homosexual speakers to describe their "alternative," and the promoting of "safe sex," assuming that all the students will be involved in immorality during high school. This student and her parents asked for permission to share another perspective with the class – to wait until marriage for sexual relations. They were refused by the administration from sharing this as an option.

One item that has not made the headlines: I noticed as the television camera caught Moshe Katsav exiting the courtroom, that he turned to one of his companions and whispered, "Zot Ptirati" – "This is my death." It is not unlikely that Katsav himself is dealing with thoughts of suicide.

Let us pray for:
Right judgment in the courtrooms,
Sexual immorality and abuse to be diminished,
Homosexual and Jezebel agenda to be driven out of the school systems,
Salvation for Moshe Katsav and all of Israel.

Leviathan Gas Field
A huge natural gas field was discovered this week at the Leviathan site, located 84 miles offshore from Haifa in northern Israel. The reported potential is 16 trillion (!) cubic feet, in addition to the 8.4 trillion cubic feet at the nearby Tamar site. The combined sales value for this resource is over 100 billion dollars.

Both sites are run by a joint venture of Texas-based Noble Energy and Israeli Delek Energy. The sea bed lies 1 mile beneath the surface of the water, and the gas reserve is located another 3 miles beneath the sea bed.

There are several challenges facing the production. First is opposition from Islamic extremists in the area, such as Hizballah in Lebanon. The second is the technical difficulty to bring out the gas and process it. The third is the taxation issues.

Israel has had a relatively low tax charge on natural gas production. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz appointed a committee led by Prof. Eitan Sheshinsky to consider tax reforms. Their recommendation was to raise the taxes closer to the European level. This has led to opposition, as expected, from the business investors.

Israel's potentially becoming independent in fuel resources could have an enormous effect on the political-economic balance in the Middle East. Israeli researchers are already speaking of the possibility of switching to a natural gas transportation system. Production at the Tamar site is expected in 2013 and the Leviathan site in 2017.

Snake Government
This week's Torah portion describes the 10 plagues and the confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses. One might think that God's judgments were too harsh. Remember that Pharaoh's regime enslaved another nation in brutal racism, and systematically murdered all the male children of their enslaved people (Exodus chapter 1). God said that He would "harden" Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 5:21), yet that was in response to Pharaoh's continuing sin and refusal to heed God's warnings.
At one point Aaron throws his rod before Pharaoh, and it turned into a snake.

Pharaoh's magicians did likewise (Exodus 7:11), yet Aaron's swallowed the others.
Pictures of ancient Egypt show the Pharaohs wearing a "snake" on their heads. This sign appears in satanic cult leaders today. Egypt's government was led by a man who worshiped snakes and led a satanic cult. Their witchcraft was at such an evil level that government ministers could turn sticks into snakes. The miracle of the staff was to confront this demonism. The magicians' miracle shows that open satanism had totally dominated ancient Egypt. The victory of Moses' rod was to show that God is greater.